Neurobiological Bases of Paternal Nurturance
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Healthy Studies |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Other |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 18 - Any |
| Updated: | 4/21/2016 |
| Start Date: | August 2014 |
| End Date: | February 2016 |
Biological Bases of Individual Variation in Paternal Nurturance
The overall goal of this project is to identify the genetic, hormonal, and neurobiological
influences on paternal nurturing behavior and to determine if fathers' neural responses to
infants can be modulated by neuropeptides known to play a role in parenting in experimental
animal models.
The aim is to determine if pharmacological manipulation of central oxytocin (OT) and
vasopressin (AVP) levels influences the neural response to viewing pictures of one's own
infant or to hearing cry stimuli. In a double-blind procedure, fathers with 1-3 year old
children will be scanned on two separate occasions; once under the influence of OT/AVP and
once under the influence of placebo. Fathers will be randomized to either OT or AVP, and
order of administration of drug and placebo will counterbalanced across subjects. Fathers
will be scanned while viewing pictures of their own and an unknown child and while listening
to unknown infant cry stimuli.
The investigators hypothesize:
- OT will augment the ventral tegmental area (VTA), ventral striatum and medial
orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) response to viewing pictures of one's own child, and will
augment the primary auditory cortex (AI) response of fathers to infant cries.
- AVP will augment the lateral septum response to viewing own child pictures.
influences on paternal nurturing behavior and to determine if fathers' neural responses to
infants can be modulated by neuropeptides known to play a role in parenting in experimental
animal models.
The aim is to determine if pharmacological manipulation of central oxytocin (OT) and
vasopressin (AVP) levels influences the neural response to viewing pictures of one's own
infant or to hearing cry stimuli. In a double-blind procedure, fathers with 1-3 year old
children will be scanned on two separate occasions; once under the influence of OT/AVP and
once under the influence of placebo. Fathers will be randomized to either OT or AVP, and
order of administration of drug and placebo will counterbalanced across subjects. Fathers
will be scanned while viewing pictures of their own and an unknown child and while listening
to unknown infant cry stimuli.
The investigators hypothesize:
- OT will augment the ventral tegmental area (VTA), ventral striatum and medial
orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) response to viewing pictures of one's own child, and will
augment the primary auditory cortex (AI) response of fathers to infant cries.
- AVP will augment the lateral septum response to viewing own child pictures.
30 fathers of children aged 1-3 will participate in two functional imaging sequence (fMRI)
sessions, once under the influence of OT/AVP, and once under the influence of placebo.
Fathers will be restricted to men who are living with their biological child and an adult
partner (male or female) that they are in a committed relationship with. All fathers will
receive two fMRI scans on two different occasions, separated by 2-10 days. 15 fathers will
be randomized to intranasal OT, the other 15 will be randomized to intranasal AVP. Within
each drug group, the order of administration of drug and placebo will counterbalanced across
subjects, such that 15 will receive OT/AVP first, and 15 will receive OT/AVP second. During
the fMRI scans, fathers will view pictures of their own and unknown children, as well as
unknown adults. Afterwards, while still in the scanner, they will listen to infant cry and
control stimuli. After exiting the scanner, fathers will again listen to the cry stimuli and
will rate their emotional reaction to the cry stimuli on the following dimensions using a 7
point likert scale: irritated, sympathetic, alarmed, angry, upset, compassionate,
distressed, annoyed, and tender.
sessions, once under the influence of OT/AVP, and once under the influence of placebo.
Fathers will be restricted to men who are living with their biological child and an adult
partner (male or female) that they are in a committed relationship with. All fathers will
receive two fMRI scans on two different occasions, separated by 2-10 days. 15 fathers will
be randomized to intranasal OT, the other 15 will be randomized to intranasal AVP. Within
each drug group, the order of administration of drug and placebo will counterbalanced across
subjects, such that 15 will receive OT/AVP first, and 15 will receive OT/AVP second. During
the fMRI scans, fathers will view pictures of their own and unknown children, as well as
unknown adults. Afterwards, while still in the scanner, they will listen to infant cry and
control stimuli. After exiting the scanner, fathers will again listen to the cry stimuli and
will rate their emotional reaction to the cry stimuli on the following dimensions using a 7
point likert scale: irritated, sympathetic, alarmed, angry, upset, compassionate,
distressed, annoyed, and tender.
Inclusion Criteria:
- above 18
- biological fathers of 1-3 year old infants who are currently cohabitating with the
child's mother
- normal or corrected-to-normal vision of 20/40
Exclusion Criteria:
- current or past history of mental illness
- active medical or neurological disorder
- current or past history of alcohol or drug dependence
- claustrophobic (at the discretion of the PI with subject consultation)
- history of seizures or other neurological disorder
- history of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, nephritis, diabetes or other
endocrine diseases or malignancy
- ferrous metal in any part of the body
- history of asthma or migraine headaches (can be included at the discretion of the
study physician or nurse practitioner if episodes are infrequent and no active
problems at time of study, not medicated)
- history of head trauma or psychiatric illness, as well as those who are receiving or
have received over the past year, medication with known psychoactive effects
(included at the discretion of the PI as these are exclusion criteria due to data
quality concerns and not safety concerns; head trauma should be minimal enough deemed
by the PI)
We found this trial at
2
sites
Emory University Hospital As the largest health care system in Georgia and the only health...
Click here to add this to my saved trials
Click here to add this to my saved trials